When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls are silver'd o'er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer's green,all girded up in sheaves,
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard;
Then thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake,
And die as fast as they see other grow,
And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence,
Save breed,to brave him when he takes thee hence.
翻譯：
當我數著鐘錶指出的時刻，
看到晴朗的白晝沒入可憎的夜；
當我注視著紫羅蘭失去了麗色，
青春鬈髮都變作銀絲白雪。
當我看到參天大樹葉盡脫，
不久前它還曾蔭庇過牛羊群夥，
夏季碧綠的禾苗都打捆成摞，
戴著堅挺的白鬚被裝上運糧車
於是我思慮到你的俊美資質，
最終也得走進時間的荒漠。
因為芳香和豔麗總把自己浪擲，
眼看著別人發育，自己卻要凋落。
誰人能把時間的鐮刀提防，
除非生兒育女在你死後與它爭抗。
推薦理由：歲月無情，有所少前賢時哲為之嘆惋。在這裡，詩人更把時間稱作，難以抵抗的催人死亡的“時間鐮刀”（Time's scythe），讓我們一起來欣賞這首十四行情詩，感悟莎翁直面人生的態度吧。
